Horse not fit!

New line-up in Austria’s dressage team

Christian Schumach's horse was judged not to be "fit to compete".(Bild: GEPA)

The Austrian Olympic dressage team will compete in Paris with a new line-up. Instead of Christian Schumach, Stefan Lehfellner, who was previously nominated as a substitute rider, will compete in the competitions starting on Tuesday.

Even before the journey to Paris, Te Quiero, Schumach's Olympic horse, had been assessed as not "fit to compete" during a final veterinary check, as slight irregularities in his gait had been detected.

"Up until this last health check, the gelding had made a very good impression in training. Animal welfare always comes first for us, so we can't take any risks and fortunately we have horses in the squad that are in top condition and can move up," explained Austria's team manager Diana Wünschek in an ÖOC statement on Thursday. The 41-year-old Upper Austrian rider Lehfellner will be competing with his 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding Roberto Carlos MT.

Substitute rider Schumach
"Because we are such a close-knit team and have friendships between riders, it is a shared hope and fear and trembling - and of course I hope that all the regular riders stay fit and can ride," Lehfellner explained in an interview with APA a few days ago. "But if anything should happen, I'll be there to help the team."

Christian Schumach from Carinthia will now be available to the team as a replacement rider for the competitions in the Olympic riding stadium in Versailles with his replacement horse Amplemento.